hello when i embroid some thing very expensive i use to tried my design first but that is not very offen but some time i think i must have done it!

I don't cause I am lazy and I have paid the minor price for the ones that mess up in the process of putting it on something I planned to wear. HOWEVER, the messed up ones are always machine or user mess ups, not designs so it wouldn't have mattered.
Accidentally put this as a comment on gignac, sorry.

I ALWAYS test stitch. I went to a class once and the instructor said "There are people who test stitch and people who wished they had". It gives me the opportunity to be sure the fabric/stabilizer combination is right and the design does not have any "gotchas" and the colors look good in the end.

Not always,would depend if I know the fabric & stabliser,expensive designs I would expect to stitch out perfect.

I don't test first. Most of my mess ups are because of me not the design. I hate testing when the count is so high with my one needle.

I only test some free designs ? Mostly because I do not like the pic. that shows on my software.I do not test most though - maybe one in thirty.

If I know the digitizer and have stitched out a design of hers, I don't do a test sample. If it is from an unknown digitizer, I do a test sample. Some people are just better digitizers than others and you don't know this until you have stitched out a design. They may look great on my computer, only to be a mess when stitched.

Definitely! I run a small embroidery business and can't afford to make a mistake with an unfamiliar pattern. It is worth every cent to test on your fabric first.

Hugs, Bonnie

Since my embroidery is mostly for my amusement and I never sell anything I don't test stitch. Plus I never seem to think about it beforehand. Just dive right in and if it is a mess I can start over or just move on to something else.
Bev

Rarely. Like Bev said, it's for my amusement and I don't think about it beforehand and just dive in as that's how I started before I learned much of anything about ME. I got my machine and didn't touch the ME part for a couple weeks and then plunged in - didn't even know I should be using "bobbin thread" - found that out after I joined this site. Also didn't know anything about stablizers. Whew - what a novice. lol

The most often time, i do not do a test, because it cost much time and thread.
I do one when I embroider on something which is expensive. And sometimes because I want to see how the design will stitch out on my fabric.

I do, do a test Sample for customers orders if I have to digitise the design.
If its just names no, or designs that I have bought or free designs,I put into my software and check them out before stitching. So I rarely test stitch these.
Hugs Yvonne

I do when I have resize the designs, or when i am not sure about the digitizer quality.

I pretty much never do. If I did work for others, I would test but I only do mine as a hobby. I can usually tell in my software if the design is worth doing.